Airlines land fines for mishandling U.S. mail

British Airways and Iberia Airlines will pay $5.8 million in fines for falsely reporting the times they transferred U.S. mail to foreign postal operators

   The Justice Department said British Airways and Iberia Airlines have agreed to pay $5.8 million for falsely reporting the times they transferred possession of U.S. mail to foreign postal operators under contract with the U.S. Postal Service. 
   The U.S. Postal Service contracted with British Airways and Iberia to take possession of mail receptacles at six locations across the country, or at various Defense and State department locations overseas, and then deliver that mail to numerous international and domestic destinations.  
   To obtain payment under the contracts, the airlines were required to submit electronic scans of the mail receptacles to the U.S. Postal Service reporting the time the mail was delivered at the specified destinations. 
   It was alleged by the U.S. government that the scans submitted by the two airlines falsely reported the time the airlines transferred possession of the mail, a violation of the False Claims Act.